Monday, November 28, 2011

Farzana Shafique, working as a Lecturer in the Department of Library & Information Science at Islamia University of Bahawalpur, has successfully completed her PhD, vide University of the Punjab notification dated November 24, 2011, under the supervision of Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood.

The topic of her thesis was "Model Information System for Educational Administrators in Pakistan". This was announced by Prof. Kanwal Ameen, Chairperson, Department of Library & Information Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore.

Dr Farzana Shafique, whose fields of interest include Information Science, Information System and Research Methods, has been hailed on her accomplishment by the fellow Library & Information Science professionals. She is even being acclaimed as role model for the female folks.

Having contributed numerous research papers in national and international LIS journals, she has had a successful career already, having clinched a prestigious international award last year. She was one of the two winners in the 2010 ASIST SIG-III International Paper Contest for which numerous quality submissions were made from different corners of the world.

“The Role of Educational Information Systems for Survival in Information Society and the Case of Pakistan,” was the paper she co-authored with Dr Khalid Mahmood, Professor, Department of Library & Information Science, University of the Punjab, earning the glory.

“Adoption and use of computer technology among school principals in Botswana secondary schools,” by Angelina Totolo, Department of Library and Information Studies, University of Botswana, Botswana, was the other outstanding paper in that contest in which the panel of reviewers comprised of Johannes Britz (UW-Milwaukee), Maria Haigh (UW-Milwaukee), Catherine Johnson (Western Ontario), Anindita Paul (University of Missouri), Hong Xu (University of Pittsburgh) and Borchuluun Yadamsuren (University of Missouri).

2009 was another memorable year for Farzana Shafique when she was appointed as Lecturer in Library & Information Science, on regular basis in BS-18, at Islamia University of Bahawalpur. She was already working on contract basis at the same position for the previous 18 months.

The 30th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair, held under the patronage of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, is reported to have attracted more than half a million visitors and the sales of books exceeded all expectations.

The sales of books reportedly surpassed $50 million (Dh183 million), with an increase of 25 per cent from last year's session, where Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Iran and the UAE came among the most countries with sales focus.

During the closing ceremony held on November 26, His Highness Shaikh Dr Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, stressed that the great success of the 30th edition of the book fair was a result of 30 years of hard work and cultural accumulation of the emirate, built on solid foundations.

"We are not seeking the quantum of what we offer from cultural programmes, but we are keen to have diversity in all our cultural programmes that serve different segments of intellectuals. Without a doubt, the overwhelming response received by the various cultural programmes of the Book Fair is an evidence of the success of these programmes,” Shaikh Sultan observed adding he plans to meet with Emirati writers and intellectuals so that they can enhance the cultural vision and its development in the UAE.

Up to 90 publishers representing 50 countries participated in this year's 10-day book fair that offered about 300,000 titles. Award-winning Arabic novels witnessed a large interest from visitors, attracting 580,000 visitors coming from around the world.

"Since its inception 30 years ago, the 30th edition of the book fair witnessed the unexpected as we received a large crowd of visitors and media outlets, as well as from Arab and international publishers," Ahmad Al Ameri, Director of Sharjah International Book Fair, stated announcing that the year's event will take place in November 2012.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Tom Lyons has become new owner of Newton-based New England Mobile Book Fair, the region’s largest independent bookseller, having taken over recently.

"Pretty much everybody I talk to loves books and reads books and wants their children to feel and put their hands on a book,’’ Lyons observed after buying out the iconic 54-year-old bookstore from the Strymish family, who had put it up for sale a year ago. The deal was brokered by Ridge Hill Partners Inc. of Needham, but the terms of sale were not released.

“Tom impressed each of us with his commitment and passion for the Book Fair, as well as his respect for my family’s legacy. We wish him success as he guides the Book Fair into the future,” Jon Strymish, whose family founded the business, remarked in his statement, confirming the sale.

The 66-year-old Lyons is very much well versed with the importance of moving the business forward, while preserving what its loyal clientele love about the place. Hailing from Brookline, he spent his career in the insurance industry and more recently as an independent management consultant. He’s also written a Western, which he’s hoping to publish, and is working on a couple of mysteries.

"We’ve got to do this carefully. Essentially what I want to do is keep the charm,” he stated.

He’s kicking off the important holiday shopping season by stocking up on bestsellers and children’s books, adding some specialty items, and beefing up the store’s renowned remainder section.

Next year, other changes will slowly unfold. Lyons desires to sponsor author events at the store, create a more family-friendly children’s section, and invite the area’s professors and professionals to give advice on what specialty books to sell. He also plans to computerize the inventory.

"I've got to. I have a difficult time browsing for a mystery to go by publisher by publisher by publisher. Some people come for a book and some people come to relax,” Lyons emphasized, adding that it’s no easy task to reorganize over a million books, so "it’s going to take time.’’

Saturday, November 26, 2011

“Forgotten Faces: Daring woman of Pakistan Folk Theatre” authored by Dr Fouzia Saeed was launched at Lok Versa in Islamabad on November 25.

“Women have and play a vital role in the success of theatre, in taking entertainment to the people, yet they are not given their due credit,” Dr Fouzia Saeed observed during her speech at the book launch ceremony which was attended by National Heritage and Integration Federal Secretary, Faridullah Khan, veteran actor and the wife of renowned singer Inayat Hussain Bhatti, Naznin Mano, along with a number of intellectuals and civil society members.

Dr Fouzia Saeed, who is a PhD from the University of Minnesota, disclosed that she started research on Pakistan’s folk theatre in 1980 and has observed women “perform daringly in theatre”. She felt that entertainment and creativity arts were closed to women.

The book is focused on the life of Bali Jatti, a renowned theatre actress who spent her life promoting Punjabi folk theatre. But as the author dwells deeper into Jatti’s life, she reveals a story not of fame and fortune but of tragedies and violence.

Bali Jatti, the first women to own a travelling stage theatre in Punjab, did not allow her daughter to join her profession. She knew of the stigmas that marred it.

Speaking on the occasion, Abida, Jatti’s daughter, said that she’s proud for someone in the country wrote a book on her mother, who played a constitutive role in showbiz. She said her mother made her name at a time when there was no media.

Fatima Jinnah Women University’s Head of Communication Department, Dr Shamim Zaidi, said that the book takes the reader “onto a journey hand-in-hand with the author, describing the book as a collage of our artists, our culture and traditions which paints the picture of the world of these artists inwards.

Abbas Jutt, son of the famous folk singer Ashiq Butt, and Samia Akhtar, the grand daughter of Bali Jatti enthralled the audience by singing a few famous folk songs.

Friday, November 25, 2011

'Odyssey of a Sailor' authored by Rear Admiral Syed Zahid Hasnain was launched at the Crescent Hall of PNS Karsaz, Karachi, on November 24 in which Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Mohammad Asif Sandila, was the guest of honour.

The Naval Chief described the book as an invaluable narration of the author’s experiences, giving an insight into the trials and tribulations of Pakistan navy during the formative years of the country.

Admiral Asif Sandila said that the book was a living account of a visionary naval officer who had an extraordinary career spanning over 41 years and the Pakistan Navy was grateful to those pioneers who laid the foundation of such a fine service.

Rear Admiral Zahir Shah made a slide presentation of the images in the book and said that the work would prove to be a useful contribution to the naval literature.

The author, Rear Admiral Syed Zahid Hasnain said that the motto of Karsaz, "the impossible we do now, miracles take a little longer" stayed with him during his whole professional life at Karsaz, at Karachi Shipyard and also at the Karachi Port Trust.

He said that during the long period of his job, he had not been involved in any great naval battles or expeditions, but served as an ordinary naval officer both at sea and ashore doing his duty to the best of his abilities.

"On 14th August 1947, the flag of the new country Pakistan was hoisted on our ships that were docked in Bombay. I was posted there to oversee repairs and refits before sending our share of the ships off to Karachi. With the division of assets, a few ships mostly old came to Pakistan's share and the balance went to India,” he recalled.

“The Pakistan Navy had just three engineer officers including myself. In our new country, there were shortages of everything. There was little money, no tables and chairs, no office space, no motor boats, no transport, no depots and no spares of course. We had to start every thing from scratch. There was even no broadcasting station and the first transmission of the Quaid-e-Azam was broadcast by Pakistan Radio from HMPS Godavri," the author pointed out.

The launch ceremony concluded with vote of thanks, presented by Tayabba Habib of SAMA Editorial and Publishing Services.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Prof Farhat Hussain has been associated with the profession of teaching for the past 16 years. He had started his career as a lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Karachi in 1995 and he was promoted as Assistant Professor in 2001.

After doing BSc as well as LLB from the University of Karachi, he did Masters in Library and Infromation Science having secured first class first position from the same institution in 1987. He was also awarded SPIL gold medal by the University.

He served as a librarian in the Federal Government Urdu College (now University) from 1993 to 1995 prior to having a three-year stint at The News, Jang Group of Newspapers, as a Research and Reference Librarian from 1990 to 1993.

He has been actively involved in research initiatives. His research reports entiled 'Automation in Unversity Libraries of Karachi' and 'Newspaper Offices Libraries in Karachi' were handy efforts while he has already supervised as many as 13 research thesis of masters level since 2000.

Prof Farhat Hussain participated as focal person in the seminars staged at Islamic World Science Citation Centre in Tehran, Iran, in October 2010. He was has attended numerous conferences organized by the Pakistan Library Association (PLA). He was elected as Secretary of PLA (Sindh Branch)in 2009 while has been editing their newsletter since 2007.

The recent launch of the Twenty20 Internationals rankings by the International Cricket Council (ICC) is a testimony of the growing popularity of the shortest version of the game that has indeed taken the world by storm.

The ICC move of issuing T20I rankings, on the lines of Tests and One-day Internationals, very clear suggests that the governing body has the plans to bring it at par with the other two established forms of the game.

T20 cricket has grown tremendously during the last few years and the ICC rankings will surely boost it further with every participating cricketer well aware of the fact that his performance will earn points and placement.

Crash of the Titans, an account of ICC World Twenty20 2010, is authored by Ehsan Qureshi, who is a famed sports journalist and analyst, having covered numerous international sporting events in his three-decade long career.

It is published by Jumbo Publishing, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi. The book being reviewed is their eighth publication on sports. To my knowledge it’s the first-ever book to appear on T20 cricket in Pakistan for which the author and the publishers deserve the credit.

It’s a very attractive and informative book, containing 162 pages. Having hardbound title, the inside pages are printed on art paper with as many as 48 pages in four colours. The layout is excellent with a lot of design elements.

England’s twin delight and Pakistan buried under Hussey’s onslaught after roller-coaster entry into semis are the two major articles that summarize the whole event which was held in the West Indies in April-May 2010.

There are reports, photographs and scorecards of all 27 matches, starting from the opening game between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on April 30 to the final between Australia and England on May 16.

The statistics also provide handy information. Besides the analysis of the tournament itself there is a section of T20I records in general that should be of considerable interest to the readers.

***For further details about Crash of the Titans, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024

Monday, November 21, 2011

Modern Library of Indonesia book series was launched by Lontar Foundation in Singapore recently. The event was supported by Indonesian Embassy in Singapore and Singapore’s National Arts Council and held in conjunction of the Singapore Writers Festival 2011.

The event started with an opening speech by Fachry Sulaiman, Counsellor of Information, Social and Cultural affairs, Indonesian Embassy in Singapore and Khor Kok Wah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council of Singapore. The ceremony was attended by over 80 people, concluding with a book-signing and meet-the-author session with the two featured writers from the book series.

“Being in multi-racial Singapore, we want to promote cross-cultural communication through literature,” Khor observed in his opening speech.

John McGlynn, heading the Board of Trustees of Lontar Foundation, disclosed that the organization was a non-profit and dedicated to promote Indonesian literature and culture with one of its projects being the translation of Indonesian classics so as to engage greater audience worldwide.

During the event, excerpts of works from two featured writers who were present at the event, Oka Rusmini and Putu Wijaya, were read. The launch was also marked with an Oleg Tambulilingan performance, a Balinese dance, which gave a visual and aural treat to the audience. The dance aptly described the launch as a celebration of eternal beauty in the vast world.

Putu Wijaya shared with the audience some of the messages that he attempted to pen down in his literature pieces. He also believed that “Freedom does not give you the license to do as you wish”.

“With limited support (from the Indonesian government), I am glad that we are moving Indonesian literature to the international audiences,” Oka Rusmini shared her excitement during the book launch.

Currently, there are 11 titles in this Modern Library of Indonesia book series, including works from Indonesian artists such as Marah Rusli and Abdoel Moeis.

“We are planning to translate more Indonesian classics as well as children books to engage the young readers,” John McGlynn disclosed when enquired about the future plan of the foundation.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Australian photographer Darren Tieste’s latest work ‘The Beauty Book for Brain Cancer’ was launched at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood on November 14. The book has the support of the biggest identities in the world having been photographed for a noble cause.

The Beauty Book is a hard cover 312-page coffee table book with images of celebrities, musicians and top models. All the monies raised, will go directly to brain cancer via two charities called SNOG & HEADRUSH. These charitable organizations are non-profit and both rely on donations for research.

Darren Tieste founded this project in February 2009 after losing his dear friend, Natalie Sattler Esposito to brain cancer in September 2008 when she was 35 years old.

“This is one friend's life that was cut way to short, so I used all my Hollywood connections to give brain cancer a voice and The Beauty Book was born. In April 2010 I was introduced to an amazing person "Pantera" Sarah Uphoff, whose mom at the time was battling brain cancer, Louise Uphoff. Pantera joined forces with me to rally many of her super star Celebrity friends to be photographed for The Beauty Book,” the noted photographer observed.

“During the 2nd year of photographing people for this project her Mom Louise lost her battle with this disease in July 2011. Pantera and I have never been more determined to raise mega dollars for brain cancer research. 17,000 Americans, 2000 Australians and 280,000 worldwide are diagnosed with brain tumors every year. Brain cancer is one of the leading cause's in cancer-related deaths in patients younger than 35,” Darren Tieste pointed out.

It had been a while since there was a really top-class “beauty book” from a noted artist within their respective industry, after Kevin Aucoin’s ‘Making Faces’ which has changed with the arrival of Darren Tieste’s publication.

The goal with the release of the book is to obviously raise money, but it goes deeper than just raising money. The proceeds would go into an account that would in turn be invested and managed by an entity called the UW Foundation to ensure that the interest earned what would be used by medical researchers to continue their work in brain tumor research without ever touching the principal, therefore insuring that there will be funds available for medical research down the line.

Monday, November 14, 2011

Kitabain.com, a centralized platform where individual sellers or bookstores can instantly make their inventory available online using their automated system and where buyers can browse for and purchase books put up by numerous booksellers all in one place, has recently teamed up with Royal Book Company whose publications are now available for purchase to their members.

The Karachi-based Royal Book Company is one of the oldest publishers, importers and distributors of books on a wide range of topics. They have now joined hands with Kitabain.com to share their book lists with them for onward distribution to their members.

General History, Philosophy, Biographies, Religion, Art & Architecture, Law, International Relations, Political Science, Military Strategy, Sports, Engineering, Medical, Business, Computer Studies and Management are some of the subjects on which the books have been published by Royal Book Company.

Kitabain.com, on their part, has simplified procedure for the purchase of these books and to place an order only the title and author of the book along with the category it belongs to has to be mentioned in the order form. The process could be even smoother when ‘Royal Books Order’ is mentioned in the title of the email. They will handle the logistics/payment collection of the delivery as for all other orders.

The joint efforts of Kitabain.com and Royal Book Company should be helpful in facilitating the bookworms as well as the students, who now have the opportunity to place an order online from a larger pool of books.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Glowing tributes were paid to Liaquat Ali Khan, Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, whose collection of speeches titled ‘Pakistan: The Heart of Asia’ was re-launched with grace and poise at the Manzar Akbar Hall of the Arts Council of Pakistan on November 11.

The book, containing speeches made by Liaquat Ali Khan during his maiden visit to the USA and Canada in 1950, was first published by the famed Harvard University Press more than six decades ago. Now the book has been republished, with the permission of the original publishers, by Paramount Publishing Enterprise, one of the leading publishing houses of Pakistan.

One of the features of the republished edition is an introduction authored by Dr Samiullah Koreshi, a former Pakistan Ambassador, in which he has attempted to set the record straight on matters relating to Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, having been debated for long.

Jamsheed Marker, the most famous of cricket commentators of his generation who was also one of the longest serving diplomats, was the chief guest in the launching ceremony, presided over by Syed Mehdi Masood, himself a former ambassador and a renowned intellectual.

“Liaquat Ali Khan sacrificed everything, including his life, for Pakistan. He was instrumental in the creation of Pakistan and then he held Pakistan together in the most difficult days of the country. His simplicity and spirit were incredible,” Jamsheed Marker, who had a close friendship with Pakistan’s first Prime Minister, remarked while shared his personal experiences with the great leader.

Syed Mehdi Masood, punctuating his address with poetic verses, described Liaquat Ali Khan as a visionary leader, who played the pivotal role in the settlement of millions of refugees who had crossed the border at the time of the creation of Pakistan.

Agha Masood Hussain, an eminent journalist and scholar, in his brief speech, talked about the monumental contribution of Liaquat Ali Khan in giving Pakistan a balanced foreign policy.

Mahfooz-un-Nabi Khan, President, Quaid-e-Millat Liaquat Ali Khan Memorial Society, delivered the welcome address while the vote of thanks, quite appropriately, was presented by Ashraf Liaquat Ali, the proud son of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister. Umbreen Mahar of Paramount Publishing Enterprise read out the preface of the book while the ceremony was conducted by Naqqash Kazmi, a notable poet and member Managing Committee, Arts Council of Pakistan.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

With the theme of “Changing Paradigm of LIS Profession in Pakistan” the department of Library and Information Sciences of the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) organized their first-ever LIS Professionals Conference in Islamabad on October 19 and 20.

The auditorium of the main campus of the AIOU in the federal capital was the venue of the two-day conference which was attended by around two hundred library and information science professionals from all over the country.

The registration was offered to LIS professionals, educators, scholars and students throughout Pakistan. There were 155 registered delegates from different parts of the country and there was enthusiastic participation of the faculty members and students of the AIOU.

The oral presentations of 12 out of 20 research studies were included in the conference which was based on four academic sessions that included the research papers along with inauguration and closing ceremonies.

The inauguration ceremony was held on October 19 in which Prof. Dr. Nazir Ahmad Sangi, Vice Chancellor, AIOU was the chief guest. After the conference inauguration ceremony, the Vice Chancellor also performed the opening of the book exhibition that was being held on the sidelines of the conference.

The book exhibition was organized in order to facilitate the conference participants and the university faculty, officers and students. The objective of the exhibition, in which stalls were set up by prominent publishers and publishers, was to provide an opportunity to the people to select the material of their own choice and requirements.

Prof. Dr Muhammad Mukhtar, Vice Chancellor, Islamia University, Bahawalpur, was the chief guest in the closing ceremony which was presided over by Prof. Dr. Nazir Ahmed Sangi, Vice Chancellor, AIOU, on October 20.

The hosts AIOU were commended for having taken up the initiative and organized a conference for the community of library and information science professionals.